You're Soaking Wet!
by Basil Allegri
Summary: Everyone is worried, or not so worried, about Merlin, who's been gone for two nights. When he stumbles back into camp, he's deliriously happy and his magic is spreading around pink flowers. Arthur demands an explanation. Freya/Merlin. Chapter 4 is merely a better, alternate version of chapter 2 in case you were wondering why this is up again.
1. Pink Flowers

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Merlin_**

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><p>"Arthur, sit down," his wife ordered. "This is <em>Merlin<em> we're talking about, he's probably fine."

"Probably blasting bad guys as we speak," Gwaine said cheerfully, poking at the fire with a stick.

Arthur stopped pacing and stared at the smoke as rose into through the morning air. His court sorcerer had been missing for two nights now. Maybe not missing... but Arthur hadn't seen him for that long so it amounted to the same thing.

"He did seem rather anxious when he dragged us down here," Elyan pointed out, empathizing with Arthur.

"Ye-es," Gwaine agreed. "But then he started jumping around like a grasshopper. I say he's fine."

"But what are we going to do if-" Elyan was silenced by a hand signal from Arthur.

"Hear that?" Arthur asked, eyes narrowed, his hand on Excalibur.

The all perked up listening for anything outside the normal forest sounds. The wood in the fire popped and somewhere above them a pair of chipmunks were twittering at each other.

That's when they heard the snap of a branch. Like someone had stepped on it...

Practically coordinated, they all whirled around to face the same direction, all intent on whatever was coming towards them. It made Arthur wish he could see through the bushes.

Could it be one of the magical beings Merlin had warned them about?

That's when they heard a familiar voice call out, "Ow!" then came the sound of someone crashing into the bushes – which simultaneously began sprouting pink blossoms.

"Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed, relieved. He dropped his grip on Excalibur and immediately strode over to the flowering bushes.

Guinevere and the two knights also rushed to the warlock's rescue, helping Arthur untangle the man's arms from various branches.

"Merlin, you're a mess," Arthur declared after laying his friend out on a bed roll.

"Am I?" came the slightly slurred reply.

"You're soaking wet!" Arthur told him.

This made Merlin laugh.

Everyone stared at the warlock incredulously.

"Is... is everything all right?" Guinevere asked carefully, testing Merlin's forehead. "No fever," she declared.

Merlin frowned up at her. "Why would I have a fever? I feel fantastic!" With this declaration, he sat up.

Everyone took a step back, unsure of Merlin's current state. Was he delirious? He was certainly acting strange. The magical pink flowers began spreading to the trees.

"Merlin, your shoes are missing," Arthur stated, wondering if his friend had even noticed.

Merlin nodded at him. "Of course they are," he snickered at Arthur's lack of intelligence. "You aren't supposed to wear shoes when you go swimming, are you? Weighs you down."

Arthur clenched his fists. They had been sitting here, worried about him, and he had gone _swimming_? He was going to kill Merlin as soon as he'd figured out what had happened.

"You aren't in the water now," Arthur said blandly, controlling his emotions. "_Why_ didn't you get them after you finished swimming?"

Merlin shrugged. "Forgot, I guess."

Everyone gaped at him.

"Your new robe is missing too," Arthur added, teeth clenched. "So is your belt. _And_ your neckerchief..." That was probably the most surprising of the missing items. No one had seen Merlin without his neckerchief since he'd had to use it to bandage Arthur over a year ago.

And Merlin giggled. He _giggled_.

"Sire," Gwaine said softly, nudging Arthur. "I think our little magician here is drunk."

Arthur looked down at Merlin, who was now practically choking from laughing so hard. Normally, he would have told Gwaine that he was insane. In all his days of knowing Merlin, Arthur had never seen his friend take more than a few sips of anything alcoholic. When he asked why, he'd received a mumbled reply about collapsing towers and green cows. But here Merlin was, looking as drunk as Gwaine ever had. And with the pink flowers his magic was spreading everywhere... it was the only logical conclusion.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked forcefully, causing Merlin to hiccup and look up at him.

"Arthur," he replied with an easy smile.

"You're drunk," he declared.

Merlin snorted. "Am not! You know I don't drink. Wouldn't want the cow episode happening again..."

"Then why are you acting this way?" Arthur asked, arms folded, before anyone could ask Merlin what he meant by the 'cow episode'. That could be told another day.

"What way?" Merlin asked, looking genuinely confused. Everyone stared at him. He glanced at all their faces. "Am I acting strange?" he asked.

"No kidding, mate," Elyan chuckled.

Everyone else was nodding violently.

"Oh, well, I didn't mean to," Merlin said with a dazed look. He leaned back onto his elbows. Then he grinned up at them all. "Probably should mention that I'm married now."

Everyone's jaws dropped and Arthur had a coughing fit that Guinevere had to stop by pounding his back.

"You're _what_?" Arthur spluttered, after managed to catch his breath.

"Yeah, sorry for not inviting you," the warlock said, considering the heavens, "but mortals really aren't allowed into Avalon."

"Oh! That's probably why I'm acting drunk!" Merlin said, snapping his fingers, startling everyone. "The magic rush really gets to you. Really, really powerful place, Avalon." Then he added after a moment's thought, "Plus, I did just get _married_..."

It took a couple seconds before the implications dawned on everyone, with varying degrees of embarrassment. Elyan snorted, covering his mouth before he could burst out laughing. Gwaine just looked incredulous. 'Married' and 'Merlin' just didn't seem to go together. Gwen was biting her lip, trying to fight a smile as she watched her own husband's reaction. King Arthur had gone a beet red.

"So who's the lucky girl?" Gwen asked, the first to recover.

Merlin smiled up at her. "Freya."

To everyone's surprise, including Merlin's, Gwaine questioned, "You mean the lake goddess?"

Arthur shot his knight a look. "Who?" he asked.

Gwaine said in a nonchalant tone, "I was patrolling the lake area with Hammond and Luke when we were attacked by bandits. That's when Merlin's little lady popped out of the water and unleashed a hurricane on them."

Arthur snorted. Of course Merlin would fall for someone who could cause hurricanes.

"And why didn't you mention this to me?" Arthur demanded.

Gwaine shrugged. "I thought you knew about her," he said, glancing at Merlin.

Arthur glanced at Merlin as well. "And why didn't _you_ tell me about this?" he snapped, slightly upset that his friend had made such a life-changing decision without him.

Merlin had the sense to look sheepish. He admitted, in the most serious tone he'd had since tripping into camp, "It was complicated."

Arthur gestured for everyone to sit down. They did as he asked, realizing that he was in a dangerous mood. Arthur plopped himself down on the blanket across from Merlin. He was tired of acting royal.

"Please tell me you knew her before two days ago," he said, watching his impulsive friend for a reaction.

Merlin rolled his eyes and pushed himself into a sitting position. "Seriously Arthur, like I'd marry someone who I'd only known for one _day_," he said.

No one moved.

"Though I suppose I almost ran away with her after knowing her for two..." he added as an afterthought.

Everyone groaned, Arthur being the loudest.

"And when was this?" the king demanded.

"Five years ago?" Merlin stated vaguely, trying to remember. "The point is, I've known her for a while."

"And what happened?"

Merlin glared at Arthur. "Do we have to talk about this now?"

"Yes," came a chorused reply. Everyone looked at each other.

"It's a long story," Merlin said, trying to deter them.

Arthur gave him a tight smile. "Get comfortable _Mer_lin, we have all day..."

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><p>AN: I think I might do a longer story later, elaborating on Freya and Merlin's relationship. They really didn't spend enough time together in the "Lady of the Lake" episode. Plus, there has to be some transition between being a cursed druid girl to becoming Lady of the Lake. How did she even feel about that? The show writers haven't made it very clear yet if she's dead or not, so for now I'm going to decide that she's alive.


	2. Flower Garden

Disclaimer: _Merlin_ isn't mine

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><p>Merlin started out by staring at the sky. Then he scratched his head, realized his hair was wet, and quickly mumbled a drying spell. His dark locks fluffed out like a dandelion, but he didn't seem to notice. The warlock was already concentrating on a new project – growing a small flower garden between the blanket he was propped up on and a brooding Arthur.<p>

Finally the king couldn't take it anymore. "Merlin," he said in a dangerously low voice. "What are you doing?"

Merlin paused, looked up from the daffodil he was in the middle of growing, and glared at Arthur. "I'm _thinking_!" he asserted.

"Merlin," Arthur said with a tight smile, "I know thinking isn't your strongest point, but really... Can't you think a little faster?" he hissed.

"Prat," Merlin muttered, putting the finishing touches on his flowers. Looking satisfied, he sat back and admired them.

On the other side of the garden, Arthur coughed.

"Merlin..."

"Arthur, be nice," Guinevere told him. Then she smiled down at Merlin from her position on the log. "Merlin, those look lovely."

"Thanks, Gwen," Merlin said, grinning at her. He picked a daisy and drifted it over to her using magic. "For you, my lady."

Guinevere grabbed hold of the flower, admiring the beautiful colors radiating from the gift. She'd never seen a red, purple, and gold daisy before.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" she declared in awe.

Arthur slumped in submission. If Guinevere had got it her head to indulge Merlin, then the man was going to be indulged. But that didn't mean he had to like it. He put his face in his hands and groaned.

"Here grumpy-face," the king heard Merlin declare happily. "You get one too!"

Arthur lifted his head only to get a nostril-full of a chrysanthemum. Merlin was leaning over the garden, aiming the newly-picked flower in Arthur's direction, grinning like a madman.

After sneezing violently for nearly thirty seconds straight, Arthur whacked the flower out of his face.

"Merlin!" he shouted.

"If princess doesn't want it, I'll take it!" Gwaine offered happily.

Merlin sent Arthur a frown, before turning to look over at Gwaine with an expression of glee. "Not this one," the warlock snorted, and to Arthur's dismay (not that he'd ever admit it), Merlin flung the chrysanthemum away from the campsite. It landed on the ground with a BANG! and engulfed the area in a plume of blue steam.

"You're more of a lilac person," Merlin proclaimed.

"Yeah?" Gwaine asked, amused.

Then Merlin frowned and mumbled to himself, "Didn't grow any lilac..."

Gwaine – and everyone else – watched the warlock curiously as he crawled around in the dirt on his hands and knees. He kept pausing, muttering under his breath, then would shake his head and continue to crawl.

Gwen tried not to laugh at the trail of pink flowers he was leaving in his wake.

Merlin paused a foot away from the fire, when he exclaimed, "Aha!" making everyone jump.

Then, to everyone's horror, he crawled straight into the fire.

"Merlin!" Arthur gasped, standing up to dive after his friend. Gwaine and Elyan and leapt up as well.

Nothing happened. The fire was still there, but Merlin seemed perfectly fine, if a bit out of it.

"Blasted smoke," they heard him mutter.

"Really..." Gwen breathed, a hand over her heart. It was beating faster than usual.

Then Merlin stood up, looking triumphant. He stepped out of dwindling flames and grinned at everyone, not noticing their distress. Walking over to Gwaine, he pulled a hand from behind his back and held out a handful of lilacs.

"For you, Sir Gwaine," he declared with a low bow.

Gwaine chuckled and smiled, but the smile was slightly forced. He was still getting over the shock. "Merlin, you're something else."

Merlin beamed.

Then he turned to Elyan.

"Tulips!" he proclaimed.

Elyan looked slightly unsure of how to react. "Er... really?" he finally managed.

"Oh certainly," Merlin declared with absolute faith. He patted the top of the knight's head. Elyan had to try hard not to flinch away. Then straightening his back, the warlock snapped his fingers. A second later, the cutting of a yellow tulip whizzed over from the garden.

Merlin presented it to Elyan with another low bow.

Elyan plucked it from Merlin's fingers, handling it delicately, and looking unsure of what to do with it. Merlin stayed put in front of him. The knight shifted nervously.

Gwaine nudged him and mouthed, "Thank him."

"Oh. Yeah. Thanks Merlin. It's really... pretty," Elyan finished lamely.

Merlin grinned.

Then he skipped back the bedroll he'd been sitting on.

"Okay!" he declared, clapping his hands together. "I think I'm ready. Me and Freya."

Arthur, grumbling, took a seat opposite the warlock and his flower garden. He was now feeling slightly left out. It wasn't his fault Merlin had stuck the chrysanthemum up his nose! He tried to not look at his friends, who were admiring their own flowers.

"But first... Arthur, are you sure you don't want a flower?" Merlin asked, looking at the king through his eyelashes.

Arthur blinked.

Merlin smiled knowingly. With a hum, he leaned over slightly and plucked up a violet. He held it out to Arthur.

Arthur met the eyes of his friend and smiled. Who was he to ruin Merlin's good mood? Plus, Merlin knew him too well. "Sure, Merlin. I'd love one."

Merlin literally glowed when Arthur took the flower from him.

Arthur shot a warning glance at Gwaine, who was snickering.

"Well," Merlin began, "I could start when I met her I suppose."

"Did she knock you over with a wave or something?" Gwaine interrupted.

Merlin raised his eyebrows, then chuckled. "No. She wasn't always the high priestess of Avalon, you know. She was an ordinary girl... kind of."

Gwaine shrugged.

"Now no more interruptions!" Arthur said loudly. "I want to hear this. And our court sorcerer had _better_ have a good explanation as to why he never told me anything."

Merlin looked sheepish.

The story really was a long one. Merlin hadn't been lying. It took a total of three hours to tell it all and then, on top of that, answer everyone's questions. By that point, it was past midday.

Looking a little more mellow, and no longer sprouting flowers, Merlin slumped back in exhaustion. Everyone else was looking thoughtful, and the warlock hoped they wouldn't think of anything else to ask. In actuality, he hadn't gotten any sleep at all for the past two days. Plus, he hadn't been allowed to eat anything during his stay in Avalon – not unless he wanted his visit to be permanent.

No one had any questions.

Except Arthur.

"So, when do we get to meet her?"


	3. Meeting Freya

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin

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><p><strong>...Which was the general consensus!<strong>

**(A/N: I had trouble thinking of topics for them to talk about. I could have talk about Avalon, but that would just be a lot of description nonsense - not much of a plot involved. And by the way, I watched 'The Lady of the Lake' and Merlin _never_ saw Arthur stab Freya. I remedied this, but I'm not sure the scene really worked, considering this is supposed to be a humorous story.)  
><strong>

"RISE AND SHINE!"

A sound of curtains being swept open was followed by a stream of light. Arthur groaned and pulled the covers over his head.

"Go'way, Merlin," his orders were muffled.

There was a moment of silence.

Arthur threw back the covers and and sat up straight, a confused expression on his face.

"Merlin, what are you even _doing_ here? Where's Fredrick?" he demanded.

The warlock sent him a grin as he continued to lay out the king's breakfast. "I told him you were giving him the day off – poor man nearly fainted. I don't blame him really, I probably would've reacted the same way."

Arthur watched his court sorcerer finish the breakfast set up with a flare of his fingers, lighting the candles. The king drilled his fingers on his pillows, not even bothering to hide his incredulous expression.

Merlin shot him a look. "Well? Are you going to get out of bed yourself or will I have to levitate you?" he asked, looking haughty.

Arthur snarled, "Don't even _think_ about it."

"And yet, here I am, seriously considering it," Merlin said, looking far too magic-ready in Arthur's opinion.

With a growl, Arthur swung himself out of his comfortable sanctuary. The stone floors were _much_ too cold in the mornings.

The king stretched and yawned, then dragged himself to the table and propped himself in front of his breakfast. Still blinking away sleep, he picked up his knife ready to... he groaned. There were only _two_ sausages.

Merlin noticed that the king was staring drearily at his plate and answered even before the question was asked. "Yes I did. And yes, it tasted quite good," he said cheerfully.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I suppose you're too skinny anyway," he conceded.

"Exactly," Merlin stated. "And you're fat enough as it is."

He let Arthur throw the sausage at him. (But just before it hit the floor, he used magic to stop its decent. After all, what was the point of wasting a perfectly good sausage?)

"So, _Mer_lin," Arthur began, watching with some amusement as the warlock gnawed on the sausage, "As much as I know you enjoy being my manservant, there has to be a reason for it."

"Fine, since you're so impatient," Merlin said, rolling his eyes. He took a seat across from Arthur. This was usually where Guinevere would sit, on the rare occasion that Arthur got up as early as she did. "Right after you get dressed, I'm taking you all down to the lake to introduce you to Freya."

Arthur stopped chewing on his roll.

"Well it's about time," he said lamely.

Merlin grinned.

O o O

They arrived at the lake around noon.

"This is the Lake of Avalon?" Arthur asked skeptically, looking at the calm waters. "But I've been here about a million times."

"You have to open the gateway first," Merlin reminded.

"Obviously," Gwaine laughed, punching Arthur's shoulder.

Arthur frowned.

"It's beautiful here," Gwen said, smiling up at Merlin. The reflection of snow-covered mountains shimmered.

"She thinks so too," Merlin said softly, his eyes focused on the lake.

They all quieted and admired the scene for a moment. It was so serene and peaceful that Arthur almost forgot he was a king, constantly pushed and pressured, with too many people who would befriend him for the wrong reasons.

He almost forgot that he was here to beg the forgiveness of his best friend in the world.

"So now what?" Arthur asked, shaking away his thoughts. He looked over at Merlin, who was in the process of removing his boots. They were leather, and leather never seemed react well with those instant-dry spells.

"I'm going to tell her we're here," he said simply.

With that, Camelot's court sorcerer walked straight into the lake. Everyone watched expectantly, extremely eager, and not wanting to miss a single step. If they were lucky, they might catch a glimpse of the fabled Avalon.

Once Merlin was waist deep in the water, he laid his hands flat along the surface, as though it were solid glass rather than liquid blue. The eyes of his audience widened as the water around him began to glow a gentle gold.

Finished with sending his message, Merlin took his hands off the water, satisfied, and waited quietly.

Everyone held their breath.

The middle of the lake began to expand. At least, that's how Gwen would describe it. The actual body of water never got any bigger, but she couldn't think of any other way to put in words the way ripples were constantly being created, ending at the shores in small waves. The most interesting phenomenon was the way the ripples behaved around Merlin. They wouldn't part – instead, they would lift from the lake's surface and form an arch that would pass over him.

Merlin barely paid attention to the water. His focus was on the epicenter of the waves.

The Lady of Avalon rose from the center of the lake like an ethereal creature, mist clinging around her person.

Merlin smiled.

Everyone else gaped and Gwaine was muttering, "That's her all right."

"Is that Morgana's dress?" Arthur asked, leaning down to whisper the question. He remembered Merlin telling them that, no, he was not a cross-dresser; that dress had been for Freya.

Guinevere frowned, eying the flowing green material. "I don't think so," she whispered. "It's been a while but I'm sure I don't recognize it."

The mist faded once she was completely out of the water, her bare feet resting on the surface of the waves. If they hadn't known better, the lake appeared to be less than an inch deep.

When she caught sight of everyone, she smiled. Merlin couldn't help but admire the midday sun was bouncing off her silky hair. And her dark eyes...

He felt like melting.

Freya half-glided, half-walked across the lake, sending out small ripples every time once of her feet touched the water. She came to a halt in front of Merlin, who seemed completely relaxed, but stiff, all at the same time.

"Hello, Freya... I love you," the warlock breathed softly. Only his wife heard his words.

Freya gazed down at Merlin with unquestionable adoration. They watched as she offered her hands and he grabbed them, his unyielding eyes still locked with hers.

With a smile, the Lady of the Lake pulled her husband out of the water to stand next to her on the waves. He grinned at her, shivering in his dripping wet clothes.

"Do you mind...?" he didn't even finish his request before his garments were enchanted completely dry. His bare toes wiggled on top of the water.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," she said in her naturally soft voice.

Then, slipping an arm around her waist, he spun to face the audience on the shore.

"Everyone," he declared, his eyes sparkling. "This is Freya."

Freya bit her lip and glanced at them shyly.

"Hello," she said, acknowledging them with a small nod.

Gwaine was the first to react. "Well come on then, Merlin!" he called. "Let's see you kiss her."

Guinevere slapped the knight's arm.

Then, to her horror, her husband demanded the exact same thing. "Yeah, Merlin. Come on!"

Encouraged, now that they had royal back-up, the other knights began making similar requests. Even the normally-placid Percival was voicing his curiosity. None of them had ever seen Merlin show affection to a girl.

Merlin watched in amusement as the knights began puckering their lips and making kissing noises, while Gwen covered her eyes with a hand, embarrassed to no end. "I'm sorry," she mouthed to Merlin and Freya.

Freya giggled.

She looked up at Merlin, eyes wide and innocent. "Well?"

Merlin looked down at her in surprise. Then he grinned. "You don't mind?"

She shook her head, smiling.

The kissing noises stopped as Merlin spun Freya so she faced him. The people on the shore held their breath, watching as the couple's foreheads met, almost as if bracing themselves for what was going to happen next. Then Merlin tilted his head and pressed his lips down on Freya's. Almost of their own accord, his hands slipped around her and began running fingers through her hair. Enlivened by the action, Freya grabbed Merlin's shirt and pulled him closer. He grinned against her lips.

On the shore, everyone watched the couple with wide eyes. Merlin (Merlin!) was _kissing_ a girl. Passionately. Much too passionately. Although, he was doing it while standing on top of a lake – that particular detail was _very_ Merlin.

After a full minute had gone by, Arthur thought about coughing to get their attention, but (to his relief) they pulled apart on their own. Albeit, they didn't have eyes for anyone but each other and they were still pressed too close together, but at least they weren't lip-locked anymore.

Gwaine broke the awed silence with a loud hoot.

Merlin turned his head away from Freya and smirked at everyone.

"Satisfied?" he sniffed.

"More than," Arthur said, still wearing a startled expression.

Freya gave the warlock a small peck on the cheek, making him blush, then stepped back. She turned to face the shore and offered, "You can come on the water too. I'll make sure you don't fall."

"Was Merlin right? You can't leave the lake?" Elyan questioned.

Freya nodded. "I am tied to the magic of Avalon. Its power is contained within the lake boundaries. So, yes, Merlin was right. I can't leave the lake, even if I wanted too."

Merlin reminded them cheerfully, "But _you_ can come on the lake!" He gestured to the water in front of them.

Everyone looked at the rippling surface skeptically.

"Don't worry, I've got you," Freya reassured them with a small smile.

"Besides, even if it doesn't work, you'll only get a little wet," Merlin pointed out.

Freya nudged her husband. "It's _going_ to work," she said forcefully.

"Right," Merlin said, straightening.

"Merlin," she warned.

He winked at her.

"I'll drop the spell on you," she threatened.

"Like that will build their confidence," he scoffed. With the comment, he suddenly found himself plunging into the water. Ah, he should have seen that one coming.

As Merlin coughed and spat out lake water, Arthur grinned at Freya. "I like you already," he declared, and strode directly onto the water.

"Come on, Merlin," the king intoned, looking down at the flailing warlock. "Stop acting like a damsel in distress."

Merlin righted himself, water dripping off the end of his nose, and spluttered, "_WæterýÞ._"

At first, Arthur wasn't entirely sure what the warlock had done, until he caught sight of the shadow that was somehow looming over him. He turned around, only to face a ten-foot wall of solid water.

Arthur turned back to look down at Merlin with narrowed eyes. "You wouldn't," he said.

Merlin smirked – but _of course_ he would. Another flash of gold and Arthur was suddenly wet as he was.

On shore, the knights guffawed.

Arthur pursed his lips. "Well, _that_ was a petty thing to do – _Mer_lin," he drawled.

"So was calling me a 'damsel' in front of my wife," Merlin sniffed, arms folded. He tried to pass off his posture as a haughty one, but the shivering and chattering teeth ruined the effect.

Freya laughed. Merlin held out his hands and gave her a pitying look.

"Please?" he asked, head tilted, blue eyes sparkling.

She smiled and took his hands, pulling him out of the water. Merlin pecked her lips in thanks.

Arthur hesitated, then asked, "Can you dry us off too?"

Freya nodded. They were instantaneously dry, much to a shivering warlock's relief.

"Thanks," Arthur said, suddenly feeling uncertain. He was going to have to confess soon. Trying to ignore his frantic thoughts, the king turned and gestured for those on shore to come on the water.

Gwaine, not to be upstaged by the 'princess', immediately marched onto the lake, closely followed by a tentative Guinevere, and an tense pack of knights. They all tested out the liquid ground.

"It's kind of like stepping on a mattress," Gwen finally decided.

"A wet mattress," Leon affirmed.

Gwen smiled. "Exactly."

"That you can fall through at any moment," Merlin added, giving his wife a sideways glance. She gripped his arm and pulled him close to her.

There was a moment of awkward silence, when no one could think of anything to say.

Arthur slumped. It was now or never.

There was nothing odd about the way Arthur stepped forward and gently took one of Freya's hands. It was practically protocol to kiss a lady's hand upon meeting her, so no one thought anything of the action – until he dropped to his knees.

The king looked so nervous that if a random observer had come across the scene, they would have said he was proposing.

"Arthur?" Merlin asked, concern lacing his voice.

The king found he couldn't meet Merlin's eyes. So he looked at Freya instead.

"I'm sorry."

Merlin expression turned incredulous. "For _what_?" he asked, then he froze. Arthur was completely serious. In fact, he hadn't seen Arthur look so emotional since the incident at the druid shrine.

"I am responsible for Freya's death," he said, his voice cracking.

Time seemed to freeze.

"I told you that I didn't remember the bastet – and I didn't – until last night," Arthur took a deep breath. "Then I realized that _I_ was the one to land the blow that killed her."

Freya cocked her head and Merlin paled.

No one else reacted; it seemed too surreal to be genuine.

Arthur bowed his head when no one said anything. "I realize how much pain you must have gone through," he croaked. "And I am so, so sorry. I can't begin to express how- how _horrible_ I feel."

Merlin swallowed.

"Arthur," he said softly. "You were protecting your people. Even though I felt miserable after she left, I can't blame you for something you didn't do."

Arthur continued to kneel, feeling miserable and not willing to believe Merlin.

Freya lay a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Rise, Arthur Pendragon. I forgive you for any misdeeds you may have committed towards me – or Merlin, for that matter."

Merlin almost protested, but stopped when he saw Arthur relax his stiff position. Now was not the time to convince the king that he had done nothing wrong. What he needed right now was forgiveness. Most of all, he needed to be able to forgive himself.

Freya continued, "For your honorable treatment of my husband, and for being his friend, I will not unjustly persecute you."

"Even if you wanted to?"

Freya tightened her grip on his shoulder. "I don't."

"Besides," Merlin added kindly, "it all turned out in the end, didn't it?"

Arthur raised his head and met the gaze of his best friend, who was smiling softly down at him. His heart sang. Merlin didn't hate him.

Arthur swallowed.

Freya patted him, and said in a much less official tone, "Now get up before I have Merlin force you."

"You could do it just as easily," Merlin told her.

"It's not ladylike to levitate people against their will," she said primly.

"See Arthur?" Merlin jibed. "I'm not a girl. I've always wanted to levitate you against your will."

"She said 'lady' not 'girl', Merlin," Arthur retorted weakly. He rose to his feet and wrapped a clammy hand around Guinevere's warm one.

"Does this mean we don't have to act all grim anymore?" Gwaine piped up.

Merlin gave Arthur a wary look, who nodded to indicate that he was fine. The warlock gave the knight a resounding nod.

"Oh, my lady!" Gwaine declared loudly, stepping forward. He kissed Freya's hand with a messy smack, making Merlin swat at him.

Freya laughed.

"Go flirt with someone else's wife!" Merlin protested.

"Sorry, but the princess is taken," Gwaine said wryly.

Arthur still felt dispirited and didn't even bother to look affronted by the teasing.

"Ahem," Merlin warned Gwaine, who was making no moves to back away.

"Alright, alright," Gwaine said with a dramatic sigh, letting Gwen take his place.

She was still clutching Arthur's hand, but the queen curtsied gracefully anyways. "I am so pleased to meet you," she said happily. "Merlin's talked about you _constantly_ since we found out – it's nice to know he's found someone who makes him happy."

Freya smiled. "I probably need Merlin more than he'll ever need me – he gave me a reason to live."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Gwen said knowingly, glancing over at Merlin, who was looking more carefree than he had in years.

...

Percival was the first to cave and ask Freya what Avalon was like.

O o O

"I learned something new about my wife today," Merlin commented as they walked back to Camelot.

"And what's that?" Arthur asked, raising his eyebrows.

There was a pause. Then:

"She's a bit of a showoff."

Of all the answers they were expecting, that had not been one of them. Guinevere frowned. "How'd you come to that conclusion?"

"I don't know, maybe the whole 'rising out of the lake' with arching, rippling water gave it away," Merlin revealed.

"So she usually doesn't do that?" Arthur asked blandly.

"Hardly," Merlin answered.

"So she's like you then," Arthur concluded instantly.

All of the knights snorted.

Merlin looked bemused. "How is that like me?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

Arthur glanced at his knights for backup.

"Well mate," Gwaine began. "You like blowing up doors."

"When you could just unlock them," Percival pointed out.

"And when you teleport you send out blinding flashes of light," Elyan added.

"Which are _completely_ unnecessary," Arthur complained. "You have us blinking spots for _hours_."

"At the music festival you played twenty instruments at once," Leon reminded. "And you weren't even entered as a musician."

"Then there was that time when you were upset with Arthur and turned the castle pink," Guinevere remembered. Arthur groaned. That had been the worst day of his life. Greeting seven dignitaries with a pink castle in the background – _without_ dying of embarrassment – had been no easy feat.

"Then, to top it off, you always have that annoyingly smug look on your face whenever you do show off," Arthur said, crinkling his nose.

Merlin grinned wickedly.

Arthur's index finger extended. "There it is!" he exclaimed.

Merlin smirked. "Don't be silly, Arthur, that stuff wasn't showing off, that was just me using my natural talents," he said.

"Isn't he modest?" Gwaine laughed.

"Don't deny it Merlin," Arthur said, looking smug. "You're as much an arrogant idiot as I am an arrogant prat."

"You finally admitted it!" Merlin crowed in triumph.

Guinevere was forced to stand between the two men for the rest of the trip to keep them from pounding on each other.

THE END (officially)

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><p><strong>Some people wanted to know about my MerlinFreya "explanation" fic. It's called 'The Lady of Avalon and the Lord of Magic' - the first chapter is posted. How much it matches up with this story is up in the air.**


	4. Chapter 2 Alternate Version

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

A/N: **THIS IS NOT A NEW, CONTINUING-THE-STORY CHAPTER**. So need to read this at all, really. I'm sorry if your were hopeful. This is simply a completely different take on chapter 2 (with the exception of the first few sentences), which, seven months later, I like better than the original.

* * *

><p>Merlin started out by staring at the sky. Then he scratched his head, realized his hair was wet, and quickly mumbled a drying spell. His dark locks fluffed out like a dandelion, but he didn't seem to notice. The warlock was already concentrating on a new project – growing a small flower garden between the blanket he was propped up on and a brooding Arthur.<p>

Finally the king couldn't take it anymore. "Merlin," he said in a dangerously low voice. "What are you doing?"

Merlin paused, looked up from the daffodil he was in the middle of growing, and glared at Arthur. "I'm _thinking_!" he asserted.

"Merlin," Arthur said with a tight smile, "I know thinking isn't your strongest point, but really... Can't you think a little faster?" he hissed.

"Prat," Merlin muttered, putting the finishing touches on his flowers.

"Those are lovely," Gwen said, humoring him.

Merlin smiled up at her. "Aren't they? I learned how to make them all when I was trying to conjure strawberries."

Elyan considered the arrangement. "I didn't know that roses came in orange," he said. Arthur sent his knight a glare. _Don't encourage him_, it said.

Merlin's smile widened. "They don't," he said smugly.

"You'll be a hit with the ladies," Gwaine congratulated.

"Not that he needs _that_ anymore," Elyan pointed out.

Gwaine nudged him. "Mate, it doesn't matter if your married or not. To be in one woman's favor is good and fine. But to have _all_ of them on your side... better than an army." He sent Guinevere a grin.

Gwen laughed.

Merlin leaned back and admired his work. "If it'll get Cook to stop badgering me..." he said.

"_Mer_lin, are you still stealing food on off-hours, even after I told you not to?" Arthur asked, forgetting that he was supposed to be the one keeping everyone on topic.

Merlin grinned.

Arthur slugged him lightly in the shoulder.

Everyone snickered.

Immediately upon touching Merlin, Arthur's entire arm had been wrapped in vines covered with pink blooms.

"Whoops! Sorry," Merlin said, not looking sorry at all.

Arthur drilled his fingers on the blanket, giving his court sorcerer a death glare that would frighten away most grown men.

Merlin decided to ignore him.

"I'm not really sure where to start," he admitted, picking at the blanket. "It really is a long story."

"What about when you met her?" Gwen suggested.

Merlin shifted nervously. "I'm not sure this is such a good idea."

"Why?" Arthur asked abruptly, in the middle of pulling off one of the vines.

Another burst of flowers sprouted around the campsite.

Merlin flushed. "Erm... because of that, I suppose," he said with a weak smile. "I'm in a good mood _now_. But Freya's story isn't really a nice one – bad things happened to her. If I get angry at all..."

Gwaine held up his hands. "No need to go further, Merlin. I'm all for flowers. In fact I'm _wild_ about them. No thunder and lightening please."

Merlin grinned and shrugged. "Normally after I travel to Avalon, I go straight to sleep by the lake..."

"So why didn't you, _Mer_lin?" Arthur asked, pulling off the last of the pink flowers off his arm.

"Because I didn't want you to worry," Merlin said, looking at Arthur with his clear blue eyes.

"Aw, we're touched," Gwaine said with a grin. "Bit late though, princess here was practically ready to call in the army."

Merlin looked over at Arthur. "You were worried?" he asked, sounding more hopeful than he usually would.

Arthur shifted his position. "Of course," he said, clearing his throat. "You didn't really tell us what you were doing and you looked nervous."

Gwen's eyes widened as she thought of something. "Were you nervous because you were about to propose?" she asked, slightly enthralled by the idea.

Merlin laughed. He said honestly, "I wish. Actually I was going to try and draw up a treaty with some of the fairykind. The marriage was more last-minute – it was actually part of the treaty."

Arthur frowned at this.

"So you got married just because of a treaty?" the king asked, sounding troubled.

Merlin quickly shook his head. "No! No! Well... yes, I suppose. I probably wouldn't have thought of it until later, if it weren't for the treaty," he admitted.

Arthur threw his head back and guffawed. "Seriously Merlin?" he asked, once he was done laughing. "You've been in love with this girl for five years and you hadn't thought to marry her?"

"It was complicated!" Merlin protested.

"How complicated could it get?" Arthur asked, shaking his head.

"Well, until a year ago I thought she was dead," Merlin quipped. _That_ stopped Arthur's chuckles.

Everyone raised their eyebrows.

"Wait... what?" it was Gwaine that had spoken. "How can a lake goddess die?"

Merlin tilted his head and considered. "Well, she's more of a high priestess than a goddess, even if I do practically worship the ground she walks on." His words slowed as he finished his statement; he'd probably begun to think of a more pertinent topic. As he gazed dreamily into the distance, all of the flowers shuddered and grew several inches.

Guinevere let out a contented sigh. Arthur felt slightly worried. There was no way _Merlin_ was going to out-do him in being romantic.

"That doesn't explain anything," the king snapped, before Merlin could continue with any of the mushy stuff.

"My point," the warlock emphasized, sending Arthur a look, "is that Freya wasn't always attached to the Lake of Avalon. When I met her, she was just a druid girl. Normal – kind of – like everyone else."

"So she's not an elf, or fairy, or something?" Elyan asked.

Merlin looked at the knight. "Whatever gave you that impression?"

Gwen admitted, "I kind of thought so too. I mean, you were going on about Avalon..."

Merlin smiled crookedly. "Ah, sorry. I keep forgetting that you have absolutely no idea who she is."

"Why _didn't_ you mention her?" Arthur asked. This was the question he really wanted answered. "I mean, magic's been legal for two years... I thought you'd told me everything." He tried to keep the hurt out of his voice, but Merlin recognized it instantly.

Merlin looked down guiltily. "It was too personal. It was one of the few things that really didn't have to do with you and... well, I guess my heart wasn't completely healed yet."

Arthur considered his friend, his expression softening.

Merlin looked back up at the king. "And when I found out she was alive... remember that week when I kept bugging everyone by singing and humming all over the place?"

"_That's_ what that was about?" Arthur exclaimed, suddenly realizing there was a bunch of happenstances that Freya's existence explained. Those nights Merlin would sneak out into the woods, for instance. Arthur had tried to have his knights follow the warlock, but he'd always lose them within ten minutes of walking.

Merlin gave a smile smile. "Yeah. You have no idea how happy that made me."

Arthur looked over at Guinevere. "I think I may have an idea," he said lightly.

Merlin sent his friend a full smile this time. "I suppose you would," he said happily.

"So why didn't you tell us then?" Arthur asked, breaking his gaze away from Guinevere.

"Erm..." Merlin looked desperate. "Awkward topic. Might make me go into 'lightning mode'."

"Now probably wouldn't be a good time to ask how she died, then, huh?" Gwaine joked.

A shadow passed over the camp.

"Gwaine," Elyan hissed as he punched the knight in the shoulder.

Merlin blinked rapidly and, once again, the sun was allowed to shine through. "Sorry," he quickly said.

"Well _Mer_lin," Arthur began, trying to lighten the tension, "you're not getting out of this forever. But what do you want to do _now_?"

"Do?" Merlin repeated, puzzled.

"Yes, Merlin," Arthur said slowly. "What would you like to do? Sleep? Finish you flower garden? Eat?"

Merlin straightened. "Eating sounds marvelous," he admitted. "I'm not allowed to eat any of the food from Avalon – not unless I want to stay there forever."

"And I forbid you for even thinking about abandoning us," Arthur ordered.

"What?" Merlin asked, bemused.

"If that's where your wife lives, you might get tempted," Arthur pointed out.

Merlin assured, "I spend plenty of time with her, don't even worry about it."

"You're sneakier than we give you credit for," Gwaine said approvingly.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "I used my magic in front of all of you for _years_ and you didn't ever notice. Of course I'm sneaky," he retorted. "Either that or you're all oblivious idiots," he amended after a second.

Arthur sniffed. "I resent that."

"So, what do you want to eat?" Guinevere questioned, changing the subject, a slight smile decorating her face. "I'm afraid we really don't have much, just a little soup."

Merlin held up his hand. "No thank you. As hungry as I am, I really would like something besides cold stew that probably tastes horrible."

"Hey! I made it," Gwaine complained.

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "All the more reason to not have any. Fair point, Merlin."

Gwaine pouted.

"But we really don't have anything else," Gwen said, sounding distressed.

Merlin grinned. "I think I can get us something from the palace kitchens," he said loudly, wiggling his fingers. "Since I've got magic and all."

"Really?" they all asked together.

"Then why didn't you do that on all our hunting trips?" Arthur questioned.

"I did," Merlin said, looking innocent as ever. "For me. I just thought that you liked the whole outdoor, camping experience... Hey!"

Arthur had pounced on him and now held him in a headlock.

O o O

An hour later the king and queen sat beside each other on the log, watching the renewed campfire, courtesy of Merlin. Gwaine and Elyan were mock-battling, bored from the inactivity of sitting. Dishes from the royal kitchens were discarded by the bags.

Guinevere played with one of the flowers Arthur had picked for her.

"Arthur," she whispered softly, glancing at Merlin as smiled in his sleep. "What do you think he's kept from us?"

Arthur sighed. "A lot. And not just about Freya," he said, an edge to his voice.

"But why?" Gwen asked, sounding pained. "Doesn't he trust us?"

Her husband threw a stick into the fire. "I don't think its a matter of trust anymore. It's just... he's _Emrys_."

"And what has that got to do with anything?" Guinevere asked harshly.

Arthur placed one of his hands on top of hers. "He's a leader, Guinevere, just like I am. There aren't many times when I get to see it, but he is – and probably more so. And when you're a leader, sometimes you learn secrets aren't yours to tell."

Guinevere slumped in defeat.

"Do you think Freya will help him?" she finally asked.

"She'd better," Arthur said firmly. "No one deserves it more than Merlin."

Merlin rolled over so that they wouldn't see the mixture of expressions that crossed his face.

He felt guilty, keeping secrets from them, but he couldn't bring himself to feel that it had been a _wrong_ decision. Perhaps it was simply leftover from the habitual secrecy that he'd lived with for the first thirty years of his life, or maybe Arthur was right. Maybe now that he was Emrys, instead of simple Merlin, his life was no longer his own. Not that it had ever been his own, he mused, but now it was even less so.

Secrets.

Merlin exhaled a long, relaxing breath and decided that one day he would disappear from the world and escape its cascade of worries. Maybe he could live in Avalon with Freya. He smiled at the thought.

Thoughts of a brown-haired girl filled his mind, and Merlin drifted into the land of sleep.

O o O

Merlin woke afresh and complete undiluted of Avalonian magic.

Gwaine saw the warlock struggle to sit and practically pounced on him. "Merlin, mate!" he cried happily.

"What time is it?" Merlin asked, rubbing his eyes. His bedhead only emphasized the disoriented look on his face.

"Morning," Gwaine replied. "Everyone else is out walking – got bored you know? But I volunteered to stay behind and watch you."

"Any breakfast left?" Merlin asked.

"Any chance you could magic something up again?" Gwaine asked hopefully.

Merlin gave the knight a look. "That's the real reason you stayed behind, isn't it?" he asked with amusement.

Gwaine tried to look offended. "Of course not! What sort of friend do you take me for?"

"Right, so I'll only magic up one plate then, shall I?" Merlin asked slyly.

Gwaine pouted. "You're killing me, mate..."

Merlin laughed and proceeded to bring up two plates of bread and cheese from the kitchens.

"I knew there was a reason we were friends!" Gwaine declared, taking his plate from the amused warlock with a look of practiced gratitude.

"Sure, Gwaine," Merlin answered easily, a relaxed smile on his face.

Twenty minutes later, the campsite was re-filled with Camelot's leaders, all happy to see Merlin back to his regular self.

"So, Merlin," Arthur said, chewing on his own bread. (He'd caught sight of Gwaine's plate and had immediately demanded that they be let in on the apparent feast. If Gwen hadn't been there, Merlin probably would have drawn out their suffering and teased them a little.)

"Are you ready to tell us about Freya?" the king finished. His tone was lighthearted, but he was sincere in his question. He didn't want Merlin to feel that he had to talk until he was ready.

Merlin nodded slowly.

"Yes," he said, shifting his position on the log, he was fiddling with a daisy from his flower garden.

Everyone quickly focused in on the warlock as he began his story. Merlin was hesitant at first, but just like when he'd told Arthur in detail about several of his exploits as Arthur's servant, he began to be more animated.

"And you lot thought I was cross-dressing!" Merlin said, singling out Gwen and Arthur with a glare.

Gwen said with a giggle, "I didn't _really_ think you were cross-dressing..."

"I did!" Arthur volunteered, smiling smugly.

"I could put _you_ in a dress," Merlin shot back.

"Digressing!" Elyan pointed out. He wanted Merlin to finish the story.

Merlin looked sheepish as he cleared his throat. "Erm... right."

He was remarkably calm when he related Freya's death, and he was proud of himself for it. It had been hard enough back then, but now that he knew her so well... he wasn't sure if he'd be able to bear losing her again.

On the other hand, something he found slightly funny, was the fact that Arthur couldn't seem to remember the bastet that had "plagued" Camelot all those years ago. It was unsurprising really – compared to the other major magical attacks against Camelot, Freya's role (while unfortunate) had been relatively unnoticeable.

"You are really horrible at cheering people up," Merlin accused.

"I didn't know someone had just _died_!" Arthur defended, sounding guilty. "And I don't even remember when this happened!"

"Just as well. You would have been horrible at it even if you _had_ known," Merlin said decisively.

Arthur glared at the rest of his knights as they nodded in sympathetic agreement.

The rest of the story went relatively smoothly, even when he related the time when she'd given him Excalibur to use against Morguase's undead army. It wasn't until Merlin started going over last year that Arthur began to look skeptical.

"I can't believe you never said a word!" he said for the millionth time, a scowl permanently etched onto his face.

"It was private!" Merlin defended, folding his arms. "Besides, I didn't even know if it was going to work out. I didn't want to get your hopes up!"

Arthur's scowl only deepened. He and Guinevere had been trying for the past year to get Merlin married off to several of the noblewomen in the court – one who'd actually been secretly practicing small magic during Uther's reign. It had been a practically perfect match in their eyes.

"We'll discuss this later," Arthur promised.

"We'll see," Merlin sniffed, then continued on with his story.

Finally he finished.

No one had any questions, except Guinevere, who looked strangely eager.

"So Merlin, when can we meet her?"


End file.
